Op/Ed

The Republican Better Idea for Obamacare: Let's
Hear It

I have a friend who has owned a small restaurant in
Tampa for decades. He voted for Donald Trump for two
important reasons: Trump isn’t Hillary Clinton, and he
hates Obamacare.

Let me rephrase that: He doesn’t like Hillary, but he
loathes Obamacare with unyielding venom. Keeping up with
its requirements, he said, has been an expensive
nightmare. He wants it gone.

Today.

This is a kind and decent man who is all-in on
goodness. He is charitable, law-abiding and is happy to
lend a hand. So, over several plates of bacon and eggs
at his joint, I have deduced that his position can best
be summed up like this: He wants his employees and
anyone in need to have access to health care, but he
despises the bureaucracy and costs imposed by Obamacare.

It looks like he is going to get his way as the
Republican-controlled Congress is tripping over itself
to defund, defeat and dethrone the signature
accomplishment of President Barack Obama’s
administration. But then what?

Well, to borrow the infamous quote from House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi from 2010 when the Affordable Care
Act was coming to life, “We have to pass the bill so
that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog
of the controversy.”

That quote was taken out of context and fed to Pelosi
for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with Obama’s vow
that people could keep the doctors they liked. That
became the rallying cry for opponents, but Trump now
basically is saying the same thing – promising Americans
that law will be replaced with something great.

While we wait for greatness, consider these Florida
statistics from a recent federal Health and Human
Services report.

— An estimated 132,000 young Floridians have been
able to keep insurance by the provision allowing them to
stay on their parents’ policies until age 26.

— It claims premiums grew 1.3 percent annually from
2010-2015, far less than the 8.2 percent of the previous
decade.

Hold on just a minute there.

The HHS apparently forgot to include the estimated 25
percent premium hike for Floridians this year. There are
many factors for that, especially the fact that far
fewer people enrolled in Obamacare than the government
projected and fewer insurers are offering coverage now
that federal backstops against financial losses have
been phased out.

All this sets up as a trap for Republicans in their
zeal to end the program, though.

With lower enrollments than expected and the end to
the safety net for insurance companies, any plan
Republicans pass to replace the ACA probably will come
up short of what Obamacare offered.

I can see the attack ads now when congressional seats
are up for grabs in two years.

Incoming HHS head Tom Price of Georgia, a ferocious
critic of Obamacare, has proposed a plan that would
include a series of tax credits, health savings
accounts, state grants and so on. Analysts have said
Price’s proposal, if adopted, could mean reduced
coverage and much higher premiums, especially for older
Americans.

Republicans have the votes, for now, to move ahead
with something. What that is, though, is anyone’s guess.
After barking their hatred for Obamacare for six years,
they have, in the words of Senate Minority Leader Chuck
Schumer, become “the dog that caught the car.”

Now what?

I know my friend would say to get rid of Obamacare
and we’ll out the consequences later.

My take is a little different.

I know this makes some people cringe, but I think
health care is a right in a civilized society. It’s not
something only those who can afford it should have. If
Republicans have a better idea, let’s hear it.

---------------

Joe Henderson had a 45-year career in
newspapers, including the last nearly 42 years at The
Tampa Tribune. Mr. Henderson has numerous local, state and
national writing awards. He has been married to his
wife, Elaine, for nearly 35 years, and has two grown
sons.
Column courtesy of Florida Politics.

This piece was reprinted by the Columbia County Observer
with permission or license.